Shrimp

[Stein]

Wow, I should probably put a mask on my buoy next time, doesn’t look like 6 feet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sutherland]

Lol that's crazy haha. Why would someone put them that close lol?

[Angry Perch]

Is yours the yellow one?

[Angry Perch]

So, apparently MA6 is open this weekend for shrimp. Since I'm going crabbing with little idea what I'm doing, I may as well add shrimp to the mix. Any basics for a new guy. On drop offs? Top, mid or base? Tide direction?

[JimmyHoffa]

Deep, cold spots are good for day. Shallow and sandy tend to be good on full moons.  There's some good holes in 6, about 90-100 ft close to shore.

[JohnVH]

wish I could make it out there, love me some shrimp!

[Stein]

I take it as a compliment, we drop a pot out by itself and within 30 minutes there are five on top of it - obviously a recognition of our supreme skills.

Only one tangle, someone with a white fender, no yellow buoy, no name and six miles of floaty line with no weight.  Luckily it was only around my line once.  WDFW boat was lurking around, hopefully they had a chat with the owner.

Fairly easy limits and one of the few days I can run the boat wide open.  We had a nice drag race home with a half dozen other boats.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stein]

One other note, shrimp do have roe this time of year.  Not a huge percentage, but a fair amount.

[Angry Perch]

When you're pull 400 feet of line, are you cooling it into a bucket/ barrel, or right out on the deck. The one time I shrimped with a bright, I think ( it was years ago) he ran it into a barrel, and on the last pull, in clipped the pots as they came in, and left all the lines stacked in the barrel.

[Stein]

I have a Rubbermaid 10 gallon trash can from Amazon and my puller drops it in there and it always comes out without tangles.  I used to just run it on the deck and that's a nightmare if you have one 400' section in.  If you put more than one shot on the deck - well, prepare for some fun.

I have a garden hose reel that fits all 1600' that I wind it on at the end of the day.

[Angry Perch]

So do you have clips at both ends of the line to unhook from pot and float?

[Stein]

Yeah, I have stainless quick link carabiners on both ends.  They screw shut, so they are secure and much stronger than the halibut clips some people use (and I used to).  I've had a pot stuck in the rocks or another pot or something down there and have had to pull on them pretty hard as well as the puller that can put quite a load on the rope when the wind or tide are ripping.

[Mfowl]

When you're pull 400 feet of line, are you cooling it into a bucket/ barrel, or right out on the deck. The one time I shrimped with a bright, I think ( it was years ago) he ran it into a barrel, and on the last pull, in clipped the pots as they came in, and left all the lines stacked in the barrel.

We use a garden hose reel as mentioned. One person cranks the line on the hose reel while the other is pulling the pot. Sometimes if the pot is going right back in we just stack the line on the floor of the boat. As long as you don't jumble up the line too bad it goes back over board with ease.

[JohnVH]

I use the big C links on both ends of the rope, my puller coils the rope, I use a traffic cone on the floor of the boat and kinda guide it around as it needs, when the pots in the boat I can tie off the rope and it can be thrown aside.

[7mmfan]

The traffic cone idea is a good one. I haven't shrimped in a long time but we always used line tubs, look like super heavy duty laundry baskets. The lines would coil right into them and you could just unclip your pot and the line is prepped for storage. No fuss no muss. The 10 gallon rubbermaid garbage cans that Stein mentions would work great as well. Drill a couple holes in the bottom so they can drain.

[Angry Perch]

Livewell, or put 'em on ice?

[JohnVH]

clean them on the boat and throw on ice

[Stein]

I pull heads immediately and ice.  Technically you have to save the heads until you return to shore (except for May) because there are actually two limits, 80 spots and 10 pounds overall (there are other shrimp open in some areas). 

It's a part of the regs that needs cleaning up, if the area is only open for spot shrimp, or you only retain spot shrimp, there should just be the 80 shrimp limit.

[Angry Perch]

I like them with the heads on, 'cause that's where all the goodness is. Anyone else keep them intact?

[JohnVH]

I like them with the heads on, 'cause that's where all the goodness is. Anyone else keep them intact?

All prawns and shrimp release an enzyme from their heads when they die which spreads into their flesh and causes them to blacken and turn mushy. The best way to ensure the highest quality prawn meat is to either cook them live with their head on or remove their heads while still alive.

This is why we clean them right after pulling the pots before coming in.